Gohu Soceity memorial figure (kikango)

A very early and highly eroded post, the large scale and elaborate geometric decoration of this post would allude to the status of the man memorialized. The face is featureless except for two carved circles which form the eyes. The waist is notched, as is typical of these works, but the torso is decorated with a skein of openwork triangles from the notches to two feet below the neck. The post is bordered by an openwork row of triangles, notable for their symmetry and the thin wall which separates the forms. Two horizontal bands of triangulated decoration are below the neck and above the overall pattern of the lower torso. The slash and burn agriculture of the area has left sooty stains in the triangulated patterns on the post. Lichen growth and the yellowing of successive layers of laolin have also given the post a handsome patina. The extreme erosin of the botton of th work points to a relatively early date of carving. An exceptional example of Giriama post.